Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Apr 09, 2007 6:54 pm This will be on a 1/4 acre block. The garage corner faces East with the block basically on a 45 degree angle to the compass.
Let me know what you think. Appreciate any suggestions, particularly in $ savings! All rights reserved. Re: Critique my plan design 2Apr 09, 2007 7:19 pm The design isn't one that I would build, but it looks good, and more importantly, looks like it would work well for a family.
Good points are the great laundry, and the bedroom size allowing a reasonable layout (bed/desk spacing & interaction). My only cost-saving suggestion would be to bump the front face of the garage out level with the front of the house, which will simplify the roofline & save some cost in materials & labout. You'll also welcome the extra space in the garage (it can mean the difference in having another set of shelves along the back wall for more storage) Re: Critique my plan design 3Apr 09, 2007 8:20 pm Thanks for sharing your plans. It looks like a design that could work.
The negatives are: -Narrow entrance hall. -No windows in kitchen. I would install a skylight to increase natural light. -Doors shouldn't open out into the hallway. -Main bedroom opens directly into living area. What is the front room on the right? Is that a study? Re: Critique my plan design 4Apr 09, 2007 8:38 pm Thanks for the input.
I really wanted to have a wider entry area to open things up more there, but I cant see a way to do it without adding oodles of floor area to the plan. Will fix those doors thanks. Re main b'room, good point but when I was tossing up the options I compared it to most of the plans I've seen where the main is at the front of the house right off the entry. Certainly this option is a lot better than that, but not ideal, as you say. Front room is a study (those are desks and chairs). Re: Critique my plan design 5Apr 09, 2007 9:16 pm Could you have the two secondary bedrooms next to each other, move the bathroom down so it backs onto the ensuite and then have the entrance to your main bedroom off the alcove that would be created ? Does that make any sense ?
It would also be a bit more space saving as the BIR to the bedrooms could share the wall...... Re: Critique my plan design 7Apr 10, 2007 12:06 am Just for me - I'd hate having my laundry coming off the lounge like that. Especially when you're doing a load of washing & trying to watch telly (noisy!). Ditto having the master bedroom off the lounge. In the house we're renting at the moment, the master bedroom is very close to the lounge & it gets noisy when our daughter wakes up early on the weekend & turns the tv on...or if one of us has gone to bed ill or with a migraine & there are still people up. Just something to think about. Re: Critique my plan design 8Apr 10, 2007 1:21 am Here's my idea (but please it is VERY rough). You lose a study, but the living area is much bigger, the problem of the cramped entrance is gone, there is more counter space in the kitchen, and much more privacy and quiet for the bedroom area. The main bathroom is also a little bigger, the laundry better placed, and overall things are 'neater'. At least I think so
In my haste I have not taken account of the orientation, or whether you would use that area behind the garage as a courtyard or whatever (and need a door off the main living area for example). But I think you could easily rectify that by 'flipping' the interior to the other side. Re: Critique my plan design 9Apr 10, 2007 9:09 am How about...
Swap the study and lounge room around. Then move all the bedrooms to the same side of the house as the study. You could then possibly create a hallway so that none of the bedrooms and toilets open directly into the living area. Removing a bedroom from the back end of the house (or at least some of it) will create more living space as well. Having moved the lounge to the other side, move the kitchen slightly up so that is has some of the windows from the garage side of the house. You could then move your laundry to go between the lounge and kitchen so that it also acts as a 'mud room' and would be the internal access from the garage. Am slightly confused about the orientation of your house so this hasn't been considered in my idea. [sneakersss] Re: Critique my plan design 10Apr 10, 2007 10:20 am Can't tell by your plan where north is - am lousy with directions - but have you given any thought to energy efficiency? Making the best of winter sun to heat the house? Flow through ventilation to cool off at night? There's a book called Warm House Cool House which talks about these things.
You can also get info from this site: http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/yourhome/t ... /index.htm And the Alternative Technology Assoc has more links: http://ata.org.au Re: Critique my plan design 11Apr 10, 2007 5:20 pm Thanks for the time put in folks!
I really need my study - I spend a significant portion of my time at home in there. North is at 45 degrees to the garage. ie If the plan had the laundry end at 12 o'clock and the study end at 6 o'clock, between 1 and 2 o'clock is North. So you can see why the living areas are all on that side of the house. I am thinking maybe it's better to have the main, bath, bed 2 & 3 in that order down the left so that the main enters the hall and bed 3 enters near the kitchen. Kids need less privacy etc. Will have a look at those links thanks. Re: Critique my plan design 12Apr 10, 2007 7:10 pm On a quick inspection of the floor plan, which by the way you did a good job of!
How about if you move the double garage, over to the left side of the house. Have the formal lounge off the kitchen area where the garage is now. Then have a really nice open plan kitchen into the lounge area with a servery. Lots of windows, thus giving the kitchen a more open feel. You will have to move things around slightly on the plan, and your block, but I think it could work. I don’t have a problem with the laundry where it is; I think this is a practical place for it… It’s not like the washing machine will be going ALL night every night. You could also put a couple of cut-outs in your study wall into the lounge room. All doors that come off main rooms into tight spaces – walkways - should be Cavity Slides, you have ample room for them. Just my idea…. Internal and External Building and Colour Consultant Online - Worldwide http://www.denovoconcepts.com Re: Critique my plan design 13Apr 10, 2007 9:34 pm I like that idea except for one thing - the formal lounge is actually more of a theatre room, so even though I think it'd be great to have a setup like you've suggested, I intend for that room to stay largely enclosed and darkish.
I need to label all the rooms, but the image is very 'busy' with info already. Sliding doors - important note, thanks. Re: Critique my plan design 15Jun 20, 2007 3:42 pm "Final" revision with the draftsmen - on my blog.
It is a whole bunch easier to make any changes I need to before I say "that's it" tomorrow... so today is a scarey day! Re: Critique my plan design 17Jun 20, 2007 4:09 pm Personally I'd swap the positions of bedroom 3 and the theatre. I'd hate to have my bedroom door come off the main living area... Re: Critique my plan design 18Jun 20, 2007 4:20 pm Cabinfever Personally I'd swap the positions of bedroom 3 and the theatre. I'd hate to have my bedroom door come off the main living area... That's an OLD plan. The current one is on my blog - link below. Thanks though. Re double doors. Dont see how I could possibly fit them. Re: Critique my plan design 19Jun 20, 2007 4:23 pm Vlad76 I know it's hard with the spaces you have in this plan, but a double front door makes a difference look wise and makes it easy in a lot of ways. Double doors onto a fairly narrow passageway would highlight the narrowness of the passageway. 3xb Re: Critique my plan design 20Jun 20, 2007 5:18 pm 3timesbuilda Vlad76 I know it's hard with the spaces you have in this plan, but a double front door makes a difference look wise and makes it easy in a lot of ways. Double doors onto a fairly narrow passageway would highlight the narrowness of the passageway. 3xb Well of course the passage way has to be at least as wide as the doors or wider. But I wouldn't save any space on this part of the house, as that is what makes it work. If you have to, make the bedrooms a bit smaller, but have the hall way and the entry a bit wider. But that's just me. i thought the flipped plan initially but bec i want narrow pathway from entry to dining (dont like bend), also cannot fit the… 7 17172 5 10421 Hi, Seeking volume or semi-custom builder in victoria(east), which have existing double story wide floor plans. Seeking 18-20m wide homes with depth of 12-15m long. Or… 0 25049 |